United States Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced President Obama’s $98.1 billion Fiscal Year 2017 Budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The budget reflects Secretary Foxx’s 30-year vision for the department to take the United States “Beyond Traffic” toward a transportation network that matches the changing geography of where people live and work; fosters innovation and adapts to evolving technology; and providers cleaner options and access to opportunity for people and communities across America.
Beyond Traffic demonstrated that the population of the United States is expected to grow by 70 million over the next three decades, creating pressures that cut across modes and infrastructure: roads, rails, airspace, ports and pipelines.
“Meeting future challenges will require a long-term vision for the transportation sector that includes more and cleaner options and expands those options to communities across the country,” said Foxx. “This budget brings us closer to that vision.”
The budget addresses the department’s top priority, safety, with high impact investments in the safe integration of emerging technologies, such as autonomous vehicles and unmanned aircraft systems, which have the potential to transform transportation systems, save lives and reduce carbon emissions. Importantly, the budget charts a path toward fundamental changes in the way the government balances and integrates surface transportation options.
Some key investment areas with the potential to impact trucking include: $20 billion per year in new investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including funding for the TIGER grant program; $44 billion for highways and bridges; $730 million for research by the National Highway Traffic safety Administration; $640 million for Federal Motor Carrier Administration operations; $3.9 billion over 10 years for development of connected and autonomous vehicles; and $275 million for the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.
